


Heart of Vengeance

by MicheaB



Category: Mage: The Ascension, Vampire: The Masquerade, White Wolf, World of Darkness (Games)
Genre: Character Turned Into Vampire, F/M, Mage, Mages, Magic, White Wolf - Freeform, World of Darkness, technocracy, vampire, virtual adept
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-10-12 02:20:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10479906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MicheaB/pseuds/MicheaB
Summary: I wrote this several years ago, and recently found it in one of my old backups.  I want to start it again, but first, I want to see if it is worth picking up again. This is based off of four of my characters from various White Wolf games (Mage and Vampire mostly) and was done through role play as well as fleshing out backstories.Dr. Johnothon Myrenei is a technocratic mage tasked with finding and training young mages so that they will join the Technocracy. He runs into some trouble when he meets a young orphan mage by the name of Alanna Cassidy, who proceeds to steal more than the answers to his latest test.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why yes, I was trying to wipe your mind...why do you ask?

Johnothon sat at his desk grading the latest exam. Standing up he smiled as his pen continued to grade the papers. "It's always the same. These kids enter this class thinking that just because I seem to have lenient requirements that they can pass the class. So far there is only one student who even seems to be able to comprehend the material." He walked back to his desk and picked up one of the graded papers. "Hmm, Alanna Cassidy: 100%. I wonder," He walked over to his filing cabinet where he kept the other tests. "Cambridge...Campbell...Carr...Cassidy." He pulled out the folder and rifled through the tests and papers. "Well well, it seems that our little student has scored 100% on everything." He put the folder back and yawned. He always had his tests back the next day, the only problem was that he had over 100 students in a class and he had four classes. Lucky for him his magic always took care of the dirty work. He walked over to his bed and pulled off his sweatshirt. Lying down he took off his glasses and set his alarm. As he dozed off he could still hear the sounds of his pen correcting papers.

While Johnothon slept strange visions went through his mind. He found himself scouring the world looking for someone that he cared deeply for, found rejection, and strangely utter revulsion. He saw a symbol that looked vaguely familiar to him with a rune in the center. There was a tall imposing figure in a work suit standing over him, blacked out by the light behind her. Next to her there was a smaller figure in a trench coat who he seemed to recognize, yet she was also unfamiliar at the same time. In his last dream he saw forms of bears and cats moving around and a strong feeling of magical energy.

Right before his alarm went off he sat bolt upright in bed, covered in a cold sweat. The most vivid part was of the two women. What could that mean? Forgetting his sweatshirt he walked out into kitchen and grabbed a shot glass and a bottle of Jack Daniel's. He did not care if the student staying with him saw the markings going down his back. After all the kid was destined to become a mage. After he had downed three shots he walked into his room and pulled out his clothes for work. Walking into the bathroom he got in the shower and was grateful that the water heater was broken again for the cold water brought all of his senses into perfect alignment. Stepping out he toweled off and pulled on his clothes. With a smirk he saw the symbol for the Progenitors on his lapel with the Technocratic emblem surrounding it. But in seeing the symbols he suddenly remembered his dreams. A shudder ran down his spine at the memory as he grabbed the graded tests and, locking the house, snapped his fingers and disappeared.

 

* * *

 

Alanna sat down to enjoy a cup of coffee before class with her friend Aisu. It was always the same, have a cup of coffee right before class, and use correspondence to get to her spot on time. With a smile she looked down at her watch and looked back at her friend. "How much you wanna bet I am the only one who passed Dr. Myrenei's exam again?"

"Well seeing as how you are the highest scoring student and have never failed, I think that would be a sucker bet." Aisu sipped her coffee and set down her mug. "You know that he will think you are cheating."

"I think I can prove him wrong if he accuses me. Besides-I can always remove his memory or make him think otherwise."

"And you will find yourself underwater as a chicken again."

Alanna shrugged and laughed at her last bout of paradox. "Yes I know that I will be messing with reality but it can't be helped." She finished her coffee and looked around. It was unusually crowded this morning in the student lounge, which would make her disappearance all that more difficult. She looked over at the coffee machine and grinned as it flew up in the air and began to spin. The moment everyone was looking away she winked at Aisu and disappeared, leaving the money for her coffee on the table.

 

* * *

 

Johnothon stood by the door handing back tests to the students as the walked in. The rising intensity of groans made him shake his head. Why would the university let idiots take classes like this if it wanted to keep its reputation? This was an advanced class on theoretical and quantum physics, not some entry level English class after all. As the last student filed through the door he looked down to see that he had Alanna's test still in his hands. Looking around the lecture hall he noticed her sitting in her usual seat and was shocked that she could have slipped by him unnoticed. He walked up to her and handed her the test. "Well done Miss Cassidy. I would like to speak to you after class about your recent test. There are a few essays on here that pose interesting points."

Alanna knew that he was just saying that so that the other students would not tease her. In the back of her mind she laughed, certain that he was going to accuse her of cheating once they were alone. Adjusting her glasses she smiled politely and nodded to her professor. "Of course." She opened up her notebook and sat back as it began to take notes for her. She was grateful that she sat in the back of class where no one could see what she was doing. As class went on she began working out what she would tell him.

 

* * *

 

The students filed out of the room like a bunch of zombies. Alanna was forced to step over the chairs to make it down to the podium. She had her plan all made out as to what she would do. She would give a crappy explanation and while doing so force him to fall asleep. Then she would remake his memories to how she saw fit. As she approached him she noticed for the first time that he did not look much older than she did. The other thing that struck her as odd was the magical energy emanating off of him. She slowed her step and looked at him curiously. "You wanted to speak with me, Dr. Myrenei?"

Johnothon was completely taken aback by Alanna's attitude. Not to mention the fact that she was giving off enough energy to light up the room. "Yes, would you come with me to my office? There is going to be another class coming here in less than two minutes." He said as he picked up his stuff and turned off the lights.

"Uh, sure." Adjusting her bag she followed close behind him. 'What is with this guy? Could he be one like me?' She tried to peer into his mind but found it was like trying to see through a brick wall. Giving up she sighed and just about ran into him as he stopped at the door to his office.

"The reason I wanted to speak to you Miss Cassidy," Johnothon stated as he entered his office and closed the door behind Alanna, "is because you have scored no less than 100% on all of your tests and papers. And I am beginning to think that you may be cheating." He set his stuff down and walked behind his desk. "Though how you're cheating is beyond me, because I never use the same test twice."

Alanna smiled and waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "I had a feeling that you would say that, sir. But in truth I am only taking this class to fill an extra class space. I already know all this shit." She looked straight into his eyes and began reciting a spell in her mind.

Johnothon smiled as he saw what Alanna was trying. "I wouldn't suggest that, child. You have no idea what you are getting yourself into." Adjusting his glasses he sent out his barrier, knocking Alanna back.

Alanna blinked and sat down in the chair behind her, taken back by the sudden force of energy. She quickly tried to act dumb. "Uh...what are you talking about?" She took off her glasses and began to clean them. "And why did you just call me child? You can't be much older than I am."

Leaning over the desk Johnothon smirked and removed his glasses. "Because compared to me, you ARE a child." He smirked again and waited for Alanna to put her glasses back on. In a dangerous voice he slipped his glasses into his pocket. "Tell me, how long have you had your powers?"

Gripping the arm of the chair Alanna tried to keep her voice calm as she looked into his eyes. "I have no idea what you are talking about. What powers?"

Johnothon walked around his desk and gripped her arm. "I know you are lying. You are a mage." Tightening his grip he lifted her from the chair. "Who do you belong to, Alanna?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about! LET ME GO!" Her entire body began to crackle with energy and in a flash of light she disappeared, leaving Johnothon nursing a burnt hand. She reappeared in her apartment next to Aisu. "My teacher is a nut! He has just accused me of being a mage! How could he have found out?" Sitting down in a chair she pulled he legs up against her chest and began to rock.

"Because I'm one as well."

Alanna's head jerked up just as a tear appeared in the living room and Johnothon stepped out. He had his glasses back on but he was not in his suit. Instead he was wearing a pair of black jeans, a white polo-shirt, and a charcoal trench coat. With a smile he waved his hand and the tear disappeared.

"How did you get here?" She looked over to see Aisu quickly disappearing, leaving her to deal with him on her own. "And who are you really?" She drew out her gun from its holster, hidden under her jacket. "If you don't tell me I will be forced to shoot you." Taking aim she held the gun poised and ready to shoot.

"It wouldn't do you any good to shoot me, Miss Cassidy. In fact, go ahead. If you're fast enough." He undid his jacket and stood with his arms out. The moment Alanna fired the bullet he winked and a blue circle appeared in front of him, the bullet disintegrated the moment it made contact. He grinned as the circle disappeared. "Care to try again?"

"How the Hell did you do that?" Alanna dropped her gun as he disappeared and reappeared right in front of her.

"I believe true introductions are in order first. I will go first to break the ice. My name as you know is Johnothon Myrenei. But what you did not know was that I was born over 200 years ago to a German family that had taken refuge in the American colonies. I learned of my powers when I was only 12 and was quickly cast out of my family. I lived on my own until I joined up with the Progenitors." He sat down on the arm of the couch, lazily swinging his left leg back and forth. "From there I began to learn what they taught and in the end became what you may know as an archmage. I can never ascend but I am now in a sense my own Avatar. That and the fact that I bear my avatar's primal marks. Which explains why I only look this old." He shrugged. "Plus the little rote of Serenity of Stone. I have been teaching at colleges because there I can find many of the mages known as Orphans. I take them in as a student intern and begin to train them as soon as they awaken. Because of your reaction back in the office I am guessing you are an Orphan. Well, unless you are part of one of the traditions, and I know you aren't a Marauder." He chuckled quietly and looked over his glasses at Alanna. "How about you?"

Alanna gave him a questioning look and shrugged her shoulders. "Well I was born in 1900 to an Irish family that was living in Japan, my father, a merchant, went there and met up with my mother...she was a young shrine maiden. They got together and had me. My mother was a mage from The Fenian. Sadly she was the last known member of her order and was killed by a Man in Black after an accusation by her father who was a Technocrat. I have never forgiven the Technocracy for that." She did not notice as Johnothon froze for a moment. "I later killed him and was forced to leave Japan. I was suddenly someone who made their hit list all because I killed someone. I was then forced to live in Ireland with my friend Aisu. She's also on the list...in fact she and I fled together to escape them. Around 2 years ago we moved here to New York. I was never taught and have only really dealt with paradox a few times, even though I use my magic almost every day. My mother gave me a potion that has stopped me from aging. It was made from a combination of vampire, faerie, and werewolf blood and essence. Is that enough?" She sat down in her chair and pulled her legs up to her chest again. "Or do you also want my blood type and my father's lineage?"

"What position did your grandfather hold? If you do not mind me asking."

"He was a division head I believe. Why?"

Johnothon rubbed his ear and smiled. "That would be the reason you were hunted. A division head is right below a your version of a master. What you would call an Adept." He noticed Alanna's scrutinizing gaze and shrugged. "If you are wondering how I know all that, well...I had a friend in the Technocracy for a while."

Alanna nodded and narrowed her eyes slightly. 'What bullshit. Does he take me for a mere child?'

Johnothon ignored the thought from Alanna's head. "In answer to your question, that was plenty of information. Though...I would like to make a proposition for you, Miss Cassidy,"

"You can call me Alanna, sir."

"Very well, Alanna, only if you will call me Johnothon." At Alanna's nod he smiled. "How would you like me to be your mentor and teacher?"

"Sounds interesting. How about I get back to you on it? I need some time to think it over." Leaning forward she yelped slightly as her familiar Tweek jumped up onto her back. "I guess I should introduce you to my familiar, Tweek." Tweek lashed her tail and hissed at Johnothon. "She doesn't like strangers, or Technocrats. But as I said, I will let you know soon."

As she looked at him she felt as if she had known him before. For some strange reason she felt attracted to him. 'NO! He is a Technocrat, I'm sure of it! I cannot let him get to me!' Shaking away the feeling she moved Tweek out of the way and stood up. "If I agree, can you show me how you do all that stuff? Like the whole tear in reality thing?"

Johnothon smiled. "Of course." Blinking he sighed to himself. 'It will never work out. She is over 100 years younger than I am...but she is so beautiful. Plus she hates the Technocracy. Why did I give myself away so easily? Maybe...." He took off his glasses and pretended to clean them. While doing so he began to peer into Alanna's mind, to his surprise the most prominent thought on her mind was of him. 'Well that makes sense since she is speaking with me.' When the thought suddenly shifted Johnothon had to stifle a gasp. "Um, Alanna I have a request for you for the class. I will continue to give you 100s in my grade book but will you mind if to appease the class a bit that I give you lower grades on your tests and papers? They're starting to think I'm playing favorites."

"I think that would be all right. As I said I already know all of the material, it's a favorite subject of mine, and I'm always having Aisu find me the latest papers and articles so I can get ahead." She looked down as Tweek began to paw at her pants leg. "Yes I know! I'll be heading for work in two minutes." She smiled at Johnothon. "Tutoring job." Picking up her stuff she looked over at him. "I take it you can find your way out?"

With a grin Johnothon nodded. "Of course."

"Just one second, Johnothon, I have a question for you that I would like you to answer. Are you a Technocrat? And answer truthfully." Alanna crossed her arms and waited.

Pausing for a second Johnothon sighed and nodded. "Yes I am, though I am not like the others." his voice was thick with regret as he bowed and disappeared. Reappearing in his office he collapsed onto his couch. 'What is wrong with me? How can she get to me like this?'

A blue mechanical dragon flew over to him and landed on his shoulder. "Have you ever thought she might not be the one causing it but it is from your own feelings?" She showed her teeth in a silly grin. "Is my master in love?"

Johnothon brushed the dragon away and growled slightly. "Leave me alone Kari. I am in no mood to play games."

Leaning his head back he sighed and stood up. "How could this happen? I made a promise to my superior that I would never do this! After the last debacle I swore I wouldn't do this again, that I'd devote my life to science and teaching! Not only that, but I just gave away that I was a Technocrat to a student!" Pacing back and forth he looked up at his clock and was glad that Alanna's class was his last class of the day.

"Kari, would you do me a favor?" He opened up the palm of his hand and held out some of the vital energy that Kari required to survive. "I will let you gorge on quintessence for today if you do this favor." At the sight of Kari's eyes widening he smiled. "I want you to watch Alanna for me. Her image should be in your memory banks. You were there first day of class to see each of the students. If you have to I want you to go to the point of pretending to be a present to her from a stranger. Here," he created a gift tag and placed it in her mouth. "act like a mechanical dragon created by the VA. Got it?" At Kari's nod he opened up the door and let her fly out. Sitting down at his desk he began to twirl a pen. Moving his hands away he stopped the pen in mid spin and sent it shooting away into a black and white picture of a young woman. "This child is mine Dominique, I shall never forgive you for the last time....You will not get this one."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aisuryuuko: A young Virtual Adept (VA) mage, often called Aisu   
> Alanna Cassidy: A young "Orphan" (No specific school or group) mage, prefers the element of fire.   
> Johnothon (NOT A TYPO) Myrenei: A Technocratic Mage, does not have any special implants like most Technocrats.   
> Dominique: An elder vampire, rules over the vampires of Ireland as a "Prince" (the title is for both genders) 
> 
> VA: Virtual Adept. (Quoted from White Wolf's "Mage the Ascension") The pioneers of a new vision for reality strive to open the minds of the Masses with their renegade actions as Hackers and virtual world builders. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Virtual_Adepts)  
> SoE: Sons of Ether. A group of technomancers aligned to the Council of Nine. Originally part of the Order of Reason and the Technocracy, they abandoned their former compatriots after the Union aided the expulsion of the Luminiferous Aether from the Consensus. Since then, the Sons have adopted several outdated technologies and incorporated them into their Paradigm. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Sons_of_Ether)  
> Technocracy: Mages that believe that everything can be answered through science. They are despised by "traditional" mages. They believe it is their duty to bring order to the world through science. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Technocratic_Union)
> 
> Paradox: When reality slaps back. Happens when a mage performs blatant (obvious) magic in front of mundane humans.   
> Quintessence: The magical energy that Mages draw upon to use their magic   
> Correspondence: Correspondence magic allows powers such as teleportation, seeing into distant areas, levitation and flying. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Correspondence)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to an ancient garden proves enlightening.

"You sure that this combination will work?" Alanna backed away from the lab table as another student poured one of her vials into a test tube filled with a bubbling liquid. The resulting explosion left both Alanna and the student dyed a bright blue. Looking down at her clothes, Alanna sighed. "I think we are ending the session for today." She took off her goggles and walked out of the room. Walking down the hall she turned the corner and bumped into Johnothon, leaving a nice blue print of her face, minus the goggles on his jacket. "Oh Gods I'm so sorry, Johnothon!" Alanna blushed turning the blue dye a purple color.  
  
Johnothon smiled and looked around. Making sure no one was there he waved his hand over the spot and it disappeared. "Just the person I was looking for. You're looking kind of blue today, do you perhaps need to be reminded to breathe?"  
  
Alanna laughed and pulled her glasses from her pocket. Slipping them on she blinked a few times as everything came into focus once again. "No it was one of my students." She enjoyed how Johnothon could always make her laugh no matter what the situation was. Looking at him she smiled and looked around. She spun in a circle and snapped her fingers three times. The dye disappeared leaving her in a white lab coat and her business suit. "So what did you need to see me for?"  
  
Taking her hand Johnothon smiled and covered her eyes with his free hand. "It's a surprise." Opening up a gateway to the umbra he stepped inside making sure to lead her through on the safest path. As they walked along he smiled to himself, he was taking her to the one place he had always felt calm. As he opened the gateway at the other end they stepped through into a large medieval garden. All around were ancient plants and statues. The smell of freshly fallen rain hung thick in the air and above the clouds threatened to let loose their torrent again. Far away there was a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder. "OK, you can look now." He moved his hand away from her eyes and stepped back.  
  
Alanna gasped at the sight. The statues were of the ancient avatars and the plants were so old that the only way to see them aside from in the garden was in textbooks. "Where are we?"  
  
"In my old garden back in Germany. I thought you might enjoy seeing it. This is where I come to meditate and test my theories. You are welcome to come here whenever you wish." Pulling an object out of his pocket he placed it in her hand. "This device will lead you here until you know the way." Lifting up her hand he brought his lips to it in a light kiss. "Thought you could use some cheering up."  
  
Alanna blinked at the kiss and smiled faintly. Suddenly she leapt into his arms and kissed him passionately on the lips, enjoying the warmth of his body against hers. After what seemed like an eternity she took a step back. She was completely surprised by her actions, she had never expected that her body would get the best of her. "Uh, I'm sorry for that...oh gods...." Turning around she rushed off down one of the paths. As she turned the corner she turned herself into a small kitten and climbed up to one of the topmost branches of the tree nearest her. Changing back to her normal form she looked down and sighed. A single tear trickled down her face and landed on her lab coat. 'What on Earth made me do that? I mean sure he's handsome and all but, HE'S MY TEACHER!' Leaning against the massive trunk she closed her eyes. Above her lightning crackled and arched across the sky. With a loud clap of thunder the skies opened up and the rain began to come down in buckets. Alanna didn't even care that the lightning was coming closer and closer to her tree. She was off in her own world. Just as she opened her eyes again a large bolt of lightning flew across the sky and hit her tree.  
  


* * *

  
  
Johnothon had been running through the garden searching for Alanna when the storm began. Pushing his bangs out of his eyes he slipped on a wet tree root and landed face first in a large puddle. As he pushed himself back up he heard a scream coming from behind him. Turning around he saw the lightning hit the tree and a body fall along with the topmost branches. "Oh God." Running forward he came to the spot of the fallen tree to find Alanna unconscious and pinned under a large branch. Knowing no one was around and that he would not have to deal with sleepers he spoke a few words under his breath and bent down. Placing his hands on the tree it suddenly disintegrated leaving, Alanna lying on the ground. He quickly scooped her up and rushed for the cover of a small gazebo. Once under its roof he set Alanna down on one of the two benches and examined her. She was covered with cuts and bruises and it looked like her hand and arm were broken from trying to absorb some of the effects of the fall. He was about to try to heal her when he noticed that the bruises and cuts were disappearing right before his eyes. 'Heh, a Spark of Life child.' Leaning down he brushed his lips across her cheek and kissed her lightly on the lips. He smiled as he noticed her eyes flutter open. "Welcome back to the world of the waking." Wrapping his arms around her he hugged her gently.  
  
"Last thing I remember was blasting out energy trying to stop my fall," Alanna sat up as best she could despite a ringing headache, "where are we?" She gingerly wrapped her arms around Johnothon and leaned her head on his shoulder. After a couple of seconds she became aware that both she and Johnothon were crying out of sheer joy.  
  


~The Next Day~

  
  
Lying on her bed Alanna looked over a book Johnothon had given her to read. As she flipped through the pages she was suddenly aware that she had a visitor. Rolling over she came face to beak with Kari. "May I help you?"  
  
"The master was wondering how you were feeling since you didn't come to class today." Kari sighed. She had been forced by Alanna to tell who her real master was and was surprised that Alanna didn't take her apart then and there. If anything it stopped Alanna from trying to figure out how Kari worked. "What should I tell him?"  
  
"I'm just tired that's all. The doctors gave me some medication for the broken bones and it's making me sleepy. Nothing to be worried about." Alanna turned back over and closed her eyes.  
  
"All right." Kari flapped her wings and flew off.  
  


* * *

  
  
"She told me that she was just tired." Kari did her best to shrug as she hovered in midair above Johnothon's desk. She cast him a worried glance. "You OK, sir?"  
  
"I'm fine, I just want to be alone right now." Johnothon looked down at the papers he had yet to grade and sighed. Alanna had never missed a day of class before and he was worried that it was more than just being tired. He had sensed how she felt, but he knew she was afraid. The age difference was one of the problems, but there was something that just he couldn't put his finger on....  
  


* * *

  
  
"You sure about this Alanna?" Aisu hung precariously from a branch outside Johnothon's house. "You know I hardly ever get out to practice my tree climbing." She yelped as a gust of wind caused the branch to sway, knocking her off balance.  
  
"Oh just use your computer cords to lash yourself to the tree then!" hissed Alanna as she swung up onto a higher branch with minimal effort. Walking heel to toe she made her way to the darkened second story window. She lifted the window and crawled through. With a quiet thump she landed on the floor and pulled out a small lighter. After fighting with the starter for a few seconds it finally sparked to life lighting up the small room. "Bingo. Tweek in here." Opening up the desk she began to sift through the papers as Tweek walked over to the door and sat down to keep watch.  
  


* * *

  
  
Johnothon was awakened from a peaceful sleep by a hushed voice. Rolling over he fumbled for his glasses and slipped them on. "What?"  
  
"Dr. Myrenei, I think someone has broken into the house! Should I call the police?"  
  
Sitting up, Johnothon swung his feet over the side of the bed and stood up. "No, I'll take care of it. Just go back to bed. It's probably just a cat." He heard the student gasp as he walked away and suddenly remembered he wasn't wearing a shirt. "I think I need to have a talk with that kid." With a heavy sigh he walked along the upstairs hall until he heard a scratching noise in his office. He turned the knob and silently opened the door to find a small black cat sitting on his desk batting at a piece of paper. "It's just a cat, kid! I must have left the window open." Walking forward he smiled at Tweek. "Now how did you get in here?"  
  
Alanna narrowed her eyes as she poked her head over the desk. She was grateful that Tweek had accompanied her on this trip, since she had not heard Johnothon opening the door. As Johnothon walked closer she ducked back under the desk and held her breath. 'Oh please don't let him find me!'  
  
Johnothon walked up to Tweek and held out his hand. He jerked it back when Tweek slashed at it. "Nice to see you again too Tweek. So are you here alone or is your master under my desk?" He walked around and bent down to just in time to get Alanna's fist in his face. Reeling back he grabbed her arm as she tried to make her way to the window. "Hold on just a minute. What are you doing here?"  
  
Seeing as how there was no way for her to escape Alanna bent her head in sorrow and gave up. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She pulled her arm out of Johnothon's grasp and took a step back. "Please don't turn me in for this."  
  
Rubbing his nose Johnothon sighed heavily. "I would never do that to you, Alanna. You know I just wish to know why you're here, not to mention why you punched me." He moved a bit closer to her and placed a hand on the desk. As the two stood there he became aware of a soft sobbing noise. "Alanna, are you crying?" Stepping even closer he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her tightly, trying to calm her down.  
  
"You would never believe me!" Alanna choked through her sobs, which were becoming more violent as she stood there. She wrapped her arms around his waist and clung to him like a child having just found her father after being lost. Leaning her head against his chest she closed her eyes and tried to calm down.  
  
With a thin smile Johnothon lifted Alanna's face and kissed her on the forehead. "Try me." He helped her to sit down in his chair and stepped back.  
  
Wiping her eyes Alanna looked down at the ground. "You're a Technocrat, I had to find out why you were suddenly taking such an interest in me. I mean I cannot be that desirable to you. And you are much older than I am. After I killed one of your people a mark was placed on my head. Now any Technocrat that I meet is to kill me on the spot." With a shudder she looked up at him.  
  
Johnothon was taken aback by her last comment. He knew about the Technocracy's rules, and that to break them would mean death. But he was willing to do that to keep Alanna safe. She was his best and brightest student, not to mention she was, in his eyes at least, one of the most beautiful woman he had ever met. Science alone could not explain what he was feeling. Kneeling down he placed his hands on Alanna's knees. "Listen to me, I would rather tell my superiors to shove their latest invention up their asses than to kill you." With a smile he patted her leg and stood up. Walking over to the door he shut it and flipped on the light. Blinking slightly at the sudden brightness he looked over at Alanna and his smile widened. She was wearing a black skintight turtleneck and skintight jeans. He knew her gun was nestled against her ribs by the way she sat. "What on Earth would have made you think that I would kill you?"  
  
"As I said, you are a Technocrat. You have to abide by their rules or you will become a target yourself." Alanna heard some grumbling outside the window and quietly willed the branch Aisu was on to keep her put. Standing up Alanna wiped her eyes and looked over at Johnothon. She suddenly noticed he was wearing only a pair of loose gray sweatpants and white socks. His hair was partially out of its ponytail and hung over his shoulder. With a smile she thought of how handsome he looked. "But from what I can see you are not your average Technocrat."  
  
Johnothon looked down and blushed as he noticed how he looked. "Um, well you did catch me right out of bed. Usually I look just like any other Technocrat, well, minus the cybernetics." With a faint smile he crossed his arms over his chest. "Of course when one disappears into the umbra for almost 80 years....." He let his voice trail off, knowing Alanna would figure out his meaning.  
  
With a quiet growl Tweek jumped out the window to join Aisu. Alanna smiled and looked Johnothon over. "Well I must say the image is very nice." She noticed that he had some sort of mystic blue writing going down the very edge of his face and down his neck. It disappeared over his shoulder and she guessed it continued down his back. She was not surprised that his body was very well toned, but she could easily see his chest rising and falling as he took in quick, nervous breaths. "Why are you so nervous? I mean, most men would kill for a body like yours." She walked up closer to him and placed her hands on his chest moving them up to trace the tattoos. Her hands moved down to his six-pack stomach and stopped. She leaned very close to him and whispered into his ear. "You know, I wouldn't be so trusting to someone who had just broken into your house." She looked into his eyes and Johnothon noticed a flash just before Alanna pushed against his stomach with all her might throwing him through the door. "Sorry but someone has already tried the love one on me!" Turning around she grabbed all the papers on the desk and jumped out the window. "Let's go, Aisu!" Ripping a tear into the gauntlet she, Tweek, and Aisu were sucked in by the ensuing void pressure. Just before Alanna healed the tear she looked up to see Johnothon looking down at her with a hurt look in his eyes.  
  
As the wind picked up around him Johnothon felt tears beginning to well up in his eyes. "Alanna, why do you not trust me?"  
  


* * *

  
  
Tweek sharpened her claws on Alanna's chair as Alanna poured over the papers she had stolen. With a sigh Alanna slammed her face onto the desk and groaned. "These are just essays explaining Quantum Electrodynamics!" She cringed as Tweek switched over to using her leg as the scratching post instead of the chair.  
  
"You mean to tell me that he said he would break the rules before killing you?" Aisu stepped into the room sipping a mixture of the two strongest caffeinated drinks available that didn't require a license to posses.  
  
"Yeah, weird huh?" Standing up Alanna stretched and looked once more at the papers. "You got another one of those?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll go get you one." Taking a sip Aisu turned around to find Johnothon standing before her in his trench coat, jeans and shirt, his arms crossed.  
  
"Aisu, could you leave us alone for a moment?" With a smile Johnothon stepped past Aisu to stand in front of Alanna.  
  
"Sure thing!" Backing out of the room Aisu signed to Alanna that she would be right outside the door, gun ready, if anything went wrong. "No way I'm messing with you."  
  
"Great." Alanna did a face palm and faked exasperation. "As always she bolts off." As she noticed Johnothon's advance she drew her gun and began to back away. "I take it you're here to kill me now." she sighed. Lowering her gun she tensed. "Fine then, do it!" Throwing her gun down she held out her arms. "If it will give me some peace from you Technocrats then kill me!" Closing her eyes she turned her head up towards the ceiling. "What are you waiting for? I know I cannot escape my destiny. Just make it quick." She had backed up almost to the wall as she waited for the shot that would end her life and begin the cycle anew.  
  
Johnothon moved closer to Alanna and suddenly appeared right in front of her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his lips against hers, hard. He brought one hand up to her face and touched his fingers on the spots that would allow his thoughts to go directly to her. 'Please listen to me, from the moment if first saw you face to face I have been in love with you. Please believe me when I tell you this. When you kissed me in the garden it awakened something inside me I thought to be dead; you burst through all my defenses.' He felt a rush of emotions flow through his body as Alanna brought up her hand to mimic his hand position.  
  
'But how can I believe you?'  
  
'Look into my heart and you will see the truth.' Johnothon took Alanna's other hand and placed it against his chest.  
  
Alanna was surprised to find both pain and love in his heart. Seeing that he was telling the truth she placed her hands on his chest and returned the kiss.  
  
Johnothon pushed her back so she was leaning against the wall and brought his hands back down to around her shoulders. "I love you, Alanna."  
  
Alanna smiled and looked into his eyes. "I love you too...." she whispered. "But for right now just shut up and kiss me."  
  
"Gladly." Johnothon brought his lips to hers in a long and passionate kiss.  
  
Standing outside the bedroom door Aisu readied her gun and peaked around the corner. When she had not heard any talking she had become worried. She saw Johnothon push Alanna back against the wall but could not tell what he was doing to her. 'Oh that prick dies now.' Undoing the safety she aimed the gun straight at Johnothon's back and pulled the trigger.  
  
As the gun fired Alanna opened her eyes to see the bullet flying towards them. Everything began to move in slow motion for her. She pushed herself completely back against the wall and shouted, "Johnothon!" She closed her eyes waiting for the bullet to hit him. To her surprise she just felt Johnothon's body push closer to her and heard him whisper a few words of comfort.  
  
"Hold still." Johnothon kissed her on the forehead and pulled his trench coat around them. The bullet hit the coat and embedded itself in the fabric, but did not penetrate. He whirled around and shot Aisu with a tranquilizer dart, which he fired from a small gun that he pulled from his sleeve. Rushing over he caught her as she fell and helped her to the ground. As time returned to normal Johnothon whispered in Aisu's ear, "Might I suggest you not do that again?" With a smile he removed the dart and leaned Aisu against the wall. "Time sphere, gotta love it." Turning around he walked back to a rather shaken Alanna. "Are you all right? You look white as a ghost."  
  
"H-h-h-how are you still alive?" Alanna collapsed to the floor. "First time slowed, then the bullet hit you, and then you are shooting my roommate...." she put her head in her hands. "Then time returned to normal...."  
  
"Alanna, look." Johnothon turned around and showed Alanna the back of his jacket where the bullet had hit. "Kevlar woven in and ceramic plates on the back and shoulders." He turned back around and smiled as he knelt before her. Wrapping his arms around Alanna he kissed her on the cheek.  
  
Alanna leaned against his chest and could hear his heart racing. With a sigh she snuggled a bit closer to warm herself back up. Suddenly she felt completely exhausted. "I think I'll go to bed now." Staggering to her feet she stumbled to her bed, flopped down, and fell instantly asleep.  
  
Johnothon didn't even have enough time to get to his feet before the world around him faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aisuryuuko: A young Virtual Adept (VA) mage, often called Aisu  
> Alanna Cassidy: A young "Orphan" (No specific school or group) mage, prefers the element of fire.  
> Johnothon (NOT A TYPO) Myrenei: A Technocratic Mage, does not have any special implants like most Technocrats.  
> Dominique: An elder vampire, rules over the vampires of Ireland as a "Prince" (the title is for both genders) 
> 
> VA: Virtual Adept. (Quoted from White Wolf's "Mage the Ascension") The pioneers of a new vision for reality strive to open the minds of the Masses with their renegade actions as Hackers and virtual world builders. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Virtual_Adepts)  
> Technocracy: Mages that believe that everything can be answered through science. They are despised by "traditional" mages. They believe it is their duty to bring order to the world through science. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Technocratic_Union)
> 
> Paradox: When reality slaps back. Happens when a mage performs blatant (obvious) magic in front of mundane humans.  
> Quintessence: The magical energy that Mages draw upon to use their magic  
> Correspondence: Correspondence magic allows powers such as teleportation, seeing into distant areas, levitation and flying. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Correspondence)
> 
> "Spark of Life": A merit for Mage, description below.  
> (5 point Merit)
> 
> The vitality of Life flows within you with preternatural strength. This lifeforce is so strong, in fact, that all nonaggravated wounds heal as if they were one wound level less; if you are Injured, you will heal in three days what others heal in a week. If you are Hurt, you heal in only one day. Bruises disappear in an hour.
> 
> If in perfect health yourself, you may share your vitality with others through the power of your touch. Anyone you assist recovers at your accelerated rate, but if the person is badly mauled or crippled, she will require months of constant bedside nursing. If the possessor of this gift is proficient in the Sphere of Life, he may heal aggravated wounds as if they were non-aggravated. All difficulties with Life magic for the purpose of healing, creation, growth or positive change (repairing congenital defects, for example) are at -2 when the touch is used. The mage's supernatural vitality aids the effect. Verbena consider this merit to be the mark of a born healer, while the Sons of Ether think it is a recessive, albeit desirable, mutation.
> 
> On the downside, your blood is particularly tasty to vampires, being twice as potent as most mortals, and you regenerate on top of it. Vampires have names for people like you — "Cornucopia," "Big Gulp," or simply "Mine!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old flame shows up to make things difficult.

The Sun shone brightly through the window and on to Alanna's bed. As it shone into her eyes she stretched and rolled over. 'It must have been a dream. Here I am, lying in my dorm shirt. There is no way any of that could have happened.' With a contented sigh she slowly opened her eyes......and screamed.  
  


* * *

  
  
Johnothon sat on the couch while Alanna paced back and forth in front of him. His hair was a mess and he looked like he had walked into a tornado. Bruises covered his body and he had a large cut on his lip. He looked up at Alanna with a pathetic look on his face. "Don't you think you over did it just a bit Alanna? You didn't have to attack me you know." He closed his eyes and began repairing his body.  
  
"You were in my bed." She cracked her knuckles and continued to pace. "So let me get this straight, you were wondering if you'd accidentally nicked me with a dart?" At Johnothon's nod she sat down next to him. "And then what? You lay down on my bed, under the covers, practically naked because you felt tired?"  
  
Johnothon shook his head. "That is not it at all. I saw you collapse on your bed and went to check on you, but then everything went black. I have no idea how I came to wind up in your bed." He put his head in his hands. "Or how I came to be with most of my clothes off."  
  
Aisu walked into the room rubbing her eyes. "Shouldn't you be in class, Alanna? It's 12:05." She opened up a fresh bottle of her caffeine mix and took a sip.  
  
Both Alanna and Johnothon jumped up and looked at one another. Johnothon grabbed Alanna's hand and snapped his fingers. In an instant they were standing outside the lecture hall. Johnothon motioned for Alanna to head inside and take her seat as he headed for the door at the bottom of the hall. He quickly smoothed his hair and arranged his clothes to look presentable. He was glad that his body had mostly healed. He only had one bruise on his arm and the cut on his lip was only a tiny one now.  
  
As Johnothon entered the room he noticed that several of the students were wearing evil grins. He blinked and walked up to his podium. "Well it seems everyone here is in a good mood. Might I ask what is going on?" He removed his glasses and began to polish them. "I hope no one has stolen a copy of my test and handed it out."  
  
"It's even better than that Dr. Myrenei. Why not take a look at the envelope on your podium?" One of the students shouted.  
  
Johnothon looked down to see a large manila envelope. Slipping his glasses back on he opened it quietly. Inside were several pictures. All of them were shots of him and Alanna lying in bed barely clothed. At the bottom corner of each of them was a strange symbol. 'The symbol from my dream?' Looking up his eyes met Alanna's and he could tell she had figured out what was in the envelope.  
  
"Now at least we know why Alanna does so well in class. I mean, come on, she is a strong 5 at best, and is a total freak. No one in their right mind would always wear black. Tell us, how good is she in bed? Oh, and if you don't want us telling the board of directors, as well as everyone else about Alanna and you, I would suggest fixing up our grades. Plus, we don't want...."  
  
Before the student could finish his sentence he felt a tap on his shoulder. As he turned around he came face to sole with Alanna's boot. The kick was hard enough to send him flying into a group of other students. "If you ever make a comment like that again about me you will cease to exist!" Her eyes turned pure white as she stood there glaring at him. She reached down and grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up into the air.  
  
'Oh no, she's going to kill him!' Johnothon was about to rush around the podium to stop her when an icy wind blew into the room. Looking up he saw a face he thought he would have never seen again. "Dominique!"  
  
Dominique looked to be a woman of exceptional build, in her mid twenties, with long silver hair tumbling over her black pants suit. Covering her eyes were a pair of dark glasses. With a grin she noticed that every male in the hall, aside from Johnothon, was looking at her with lust in their eyes. Johnothon just seemed to be standing in a state of disbelief. "I see you received my little present. Had those pictures professionally done."  
  
"Class please leave the room. The test will be postponed until next week. I will see you tomorrow, please be prepared to take notes." Johnothon walked around the podium and waited until everyone had left and the doors were shut. With a thin smile he noticed that Alanna had disappeared from her spot. "What do you want, Dominique?"  
  
"Just a little payback for what you did to me 80 years ago. Plus the Technocracy's destruction of my headquarters in Japan, which I am sure you had a hand in." She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "And now I see you have gone after some little hussy of a mage. What are you doing now? Going after anything that has a magical energy and walks upright?"  
  
"You know that what happened back then is over and done with. And I never attacked your business, I was in the umbra an hour after the breakup and stayed there until two years ago." Johnothon shook his head and sighed. "And I would prefer if you leave Alanna out of this, she has done nothing to you."  
  
Alanna stood in the projection room, shaking with rage. "Just to take care of something that happened years ago she takes pictures of me and Johnothon in bed, which has ruined what little reputation I had?" She grabbed her gun and took aim. As the bullet fired she watched as Johnothon's face contorted with fear. She watched the bullet hit Dominique with no effect what so ever. In the next second she found herself in the umbra near Johnothon. His spirit turned to her and sighed.  
  
"Please do not do that again. She is an elder vampire and all your shots will do is make her angry."  
  
"But why is she so mean to you?" Alanna asked his spirit, but it had already turned back to Dominique.  
  
Johnothon leaned on his podium and rubbed his eyes. "So what must I do to stop you from sending out those pictures?"  
  
Dominique grinned and bared her fangs. "Well I could always make you my ghoul, but I don't want to have to give up my own blood to keep you fed. Killing you would be no fun, and making you a vampire...well that would just be pointless. I think I shall just find some way to put you in a state of pure hell. But for now I will let you and your hussy be. I will summon you when I have decided on your punishment." Turning around she walked to the door. "And you can keep those pictures as a souvenir of our meeting. So long, Lover." With that she opened the door and stepped out.  
  
As the door shut Johnothon slammed his head down on the podium. "If I could take back any one choice in my life...."  
  
Alanna stepped out of the umbra and walked up behind him. "How about we not think about it for right now? We can go back to my place and fix lunch." She wrapped her arms over his shoulders and kissed the back of his neck.  
  
"I'm not sure that would be a good idea. If anyone sees us together like that...we are as good as dead." He ran his hands through his bangs and shook his head. "How about the garden? There are plenty of fruit trees there, and I can always create other stuff."  
  
"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go." Alanna watched as Johnothon turned around to smile at her. Arm in arm, the two stepped through the gauntlet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aisuryuuko: A young Virtual Adept (VA) mage, often called Aisu   
> Alanna Cassidy: A young "Orphan" (No specific school or group) mage, prefers the element of fire.   
> Johnothon (NOT A TYPO) Myrenei: A Technocratic Mage, does not have any special implants like most Technocrats.   
> Dominique: An elder vampire, rules over the vampires of Ireland as a "Prince" (the title is for both genders) 
> 
> VA: Virtual Adept. (Quoted from White Wolf's "Mage the Ascension") The pioneers of a new vision for reality strive to open the minds of the Masses with their renegade actions as Hackers and virtual world builders. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Virtual_Adepts)  
> Technocracy: Mages that believe that everything can be answered through science. They are despised by "traditional" mages. They believe it is their duty to bring order to the world through science. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Technocratic_Union)
> 
> Paradox: When reality slaps back. Happens when a mage performs blatant (obvious) magic in front of mundane humans.   
> Quintessence: The magical energy that Mages draw upon to use their magic   
> Correspondence: Correspondence magic allows powers such as teleportation, seeing into distant areas, levitation and flying. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Correspondence)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Queue obligatory flashback to explain the old flame!

Sitting under the gazebo Alanna looked out at the rain and smiled. She and Johnothon had picked several types of fruits and vegetables; and with Johnothon's energy weapon, made a small fire out of some semi-dry branches and twigs. As the fire crackled and spit Alanna cut up the fruit and placed them over the fire to roast. "Are you willing to tell me about you and Dominique?"   
  
With a faint smile Johnothon leaned against the bench. "I guess it all started around the year 1780...."  
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
  
The sun shone brightly through the antique stained glass window. Looking outside Johnothon sighed and looked back at the papers on his desk. Though he would have preferred to do his work outside, he knew that his master would never let him. He stood up and began to pace the room, stopping every time he passed the window. He was a young man of about 20 years of age with bright shining blue eyes. His hair was cropped short in his master's preferred fashion and he wore a pair of thick heavy glasses that pinched behind his ears. He had lightly tanned skin and a smile that could win the heart of almost anyone. And in his eyes one could easily spot the curious streak that ran through him.   
  
As he looked out he noticed a carriage pull up in front of the main house and a heavily cloaked figure climb out. With a shrug Johnothon returned to his pacing. It was normal for people to be secretive around here. 'I wonder when he will let me into his house?'   
  
The answer came almost as if his master had known his request even before it was spoken. A servant knocked on the door and in a quiet voice spoke through the keyhole. "The master wants to see you in the study. Meet me outside."   
  
Johnothon smiled to himself, this was a test for him to see if he could remember his teachings. Walking over to his book he noted the page and slammed the covers together. Instantly he appeared next to the servant who ushered him into the house and through a series of corridors. Upon arriving at an ornately decorated door the servant turned to Johnothon and looked him up and down. "That will not do." With a snap of his fingers Johnothon was suddenly wearing a loose fitting black silk shirt and black leather pants. On his head appeared a small black cap. "Much better. He is in there. Try not to make yourself look too much like an idiot."   
  
With a sneer at the servant Johnothon walked into the room and bowed to his master. The room was lit with his master's magic, so there was never any use for torches or candles. And since the room was in the center of the house there were also no windows. As he looked up he noticed that someone else was in the room. She was the most beautiful woman Johnothon had ever seen, he felt his heart begin to beat faster and faster until it felt like it would burst through his chest. He just about gagged when his Adam's apple began to twitch. She had silver white hair that tumbled down over her shoulders and over her jet-black cloak. Her ice blue eyes looked back at him with a combination of interest and boredom. Though her skin was flesh tone it was paler than usual and seemed to reflect the light better than normal. Under the cloak was a tight fitting dress that came down to her ankles and had a slit up the left leg exposing it to the world. "Uh, um, hi you're pretty." Johnothon slapped his hand to his face as he realized what he had just said. Quickly sitting down in a chair he blushed violently and looked away. He could feel her eyes on him regarding him with mild humor.   
  
"As you see he is not the most intelligent of boys, but he is a fast learner." Johnothon's master smiled at the woman. "What do you think of him, Dominique?"  
  
Dominique stood up and walked over to Johnothon. Leaning down she placed her hand under his chin and lifted it up so he was forced to look at her. Smiling at the flush of red that suddenly appeared on his face she winked at him. "He'll be a wonderful student. In fact I think that he may be able to move up in ranks rather quickly. What do you think, boy? Would you like to work for me? I will pay you well and you will have free room and board."   
  
Her voice was soft with a heavy Irish accent. Johnothon felt his heart melt as his eyes met hers. Feeling the lump rising in his throat he looked away. "I-I-I-I I would like that very much." He inwardly kicked himself over his lack of self-control. But it had been over five years since he had seen a living, breathing woman.   
  
With a smile Dominique looked over at Johnothon's master. "If it is possible I would like to take him with me tonight. I leave for Ireland in the morning and would like him to accompany me."   
  
Johnothon jumped up. "I could be ready in twenty minutes, ma'am. I don't have very many belongings."   
  
"Very well then, I will be waiting in my carriage." Dominique lifted her hood and stepped out of the room. Followed behind her were three heavily cloaked figures. On the backs of their cloaks was a strange symbol. The last one turned and shut the door behind them leaving Johnothon and his master alone.   
  
"Well my boy you seem to have made a good impression on her. Not many of my students manage to do that. Especially after that little display of stupidity. I thought she was going to get up and leave after that. You need to learn to hold your tongue boy." Wagging an aged finger at Johnothon his master sighed. "At least you will be able to further your education with her. She is very good with my students." He stood up and hobbled over to the bookcase behind him. Pulling out a withered and battered book he blew off the dust and handed the book to Johnothon. "Here, it is a book of ancient spells, it may come in handy for you. In fact, I want you to pass that on to your first student." He smiled and looked at Johnothon. "Well what are you waiting for boy? Go and get your belongings together!"  
  


* * *

  
  
'I never did like the sea.' Johnothon groaned as he leaned over the side of the railing. He had thrown up his lunch, dinner, and snack. Staggering back to his small cabin he flopped down on his bed like a discarded rag doll. "Why is it that whatever I eat it always comes back up as carrots?"   
  
There was a knock on the door. At his groan Dominique stepped in and walked over to his bed. She held her hand over his forehead and a small white light spread from her palm to his face. As the light covered Johnothon's head he felt his nausea going away. Dominique smiled and helped him sit up. "I believe that this is your first voyage over the ocean?"   
  
Johnothon shook his head. "I came over to the Americas when I was an infant. My family came there from Germany." He looked over at her. "How did you do that? I mean, make me feel better?"   
  
"It is a simple healing rote I know. I have noticed that all of my new students become ill on the trip over seas and so I learned it to help them along." Dominique set a comforting hand on Johnothon's shoulder. "Try and get some sleep. In two more days we will reach port." Before Johnothon could ask how the trip could be over so quickly she stood up and left the room.  
  


**Two years later....**

  
  
Johnothon sat floating above his bed reading over the book his old master had given him. Many of the spells had proven to be very useful. With a yawn he sank down onto his bed and fell asleep.   
  
Later on during the night he was awoken by a strange noise. Deciding to investigate he climbed out of his bed and walked down the hall, ignoring the fact that he was only wearing a pair of loose pants. As he neared the noise it suddenly stopped. Shrugging, he was about to turn around when he felt a hand on his shoulder. With a yelp he felt himself picked up and spun around to face a very angry looking man. His skin was pure white and the veins could easily be seen underneath. Johnothon's body crackled with energy and he suddenly found himself standing beside Dominique's office door. He knocked quietly and let himself in to see Dominique sitting at her desk pouring over a stack of papers.   
  
Dominique looked up and smiled. "Is everything all right?"   
  
"I heard a strange noise and when I went to investigate I was grabbed by a weird guy with clear skin. What is this all about?"   
  
"I have no idea about the noise but the man is one of my students. He is a bit gruff about people wandering the halls at night, that's all. He wouldn't have done you any harm." She stood up and walked over to him. "Is there anything else?"   
  
Johnothon gulped as he saw that she was wearing a silk nightgown. Her feet were bare and her hair was pulled up in a braid. "Just one thing." He suddenly felt himself pulling her body against his and kissing her passionately. His hands began to wander and to his surprise he felt her returning his actions. A surge of power ran through him and he felt strange markings forming on his back, almost like invisible pins were tattooing him. He quickly stepped away from her. "I am so sorry! I don't know what came over me! Please don't fire me!" His back, neck, and side of his face began to burn and itch. "You didn't hex me, did you?"   
  
Dominique smiled and moved close to him. "Not that I'm aware of, it looks quite nice though. In fact if you will follow me," she took his hand and lead him to a full-length mirror.   
  
As Johnothon peered into the mirror he could see blue tattoos running down the edge of his face and down his neck. Turning around he saw that they continued down his back. He also noticed that his skin tone was now much darker. "Does this happen to all your employees?" He turned around and looked at Dominique. "Or just the ones that kiss you?"   
  
"Actually it has never happened before." Dominique draped her arms over his shoulders and smiled. "Though I did enjoy the kiss." Pressing her lips against his she held him in a passionate embrace.  
  


* * *

  
  
Johnothon awoke the next morning to find the room completely dark. Rolling over he noticed a figure next to him. As he formed a small ball of energy in his hands to light the area he saw it was Dominique. She had a blanket pulled up to just below her chest showing off her pert breasts. Johnothon sighed and tried in vain to remember what had happened. He remembered the kiss but everything went foggy afterwards. There was a slight twinge in his neck and his mouth tasted slightly of blood. Not thinking too much about it he wrapped his arms around Dominique and fell back asleep.  
  
In his dreams he saw his avatar standing before him, the same markings on her body as Johonthon had. Though the avatar never spoke, Johnothon could feel the message he was being sent. The two were now forever joined, and while Johnothon now would enjoy the eternal life his avatar shared with him, his avatar would be allowed to see and experience the world outside of the umbra. He wasn't sure why, but the thought of never growing old brought a smile to his lips, his thoughts drifting to Dominique and the life he had before him.

  
Several Years Later...(Around the year 1900)

  
Johnothon stared around his now empty room and sighed. He was certain that he needed to join up with the Technocracy. His avatar seemed to be calling for it. The only problem was he did not wish to leave Dominique behind. He knew that he would be able to visit her on his nights off, but not having her there by his side as he slept left an empty feeling in his heart. With a heavy sigh, he turned and left his room forever.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Well it seems that you are doing splendidly." Dominique smiled as she sat comfortably on Johnothon's lap in his office. She had stopped by that evening to invite him out to dinner.   
  
"They have just offered me a teaching position at a nearby college. I am thinking of taking them up on the offer." Johnothon smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. "So where did you plan on going for dinner, my love?"   
  
"Maybe that nice little restaurant down the street." Kissing him on the forehead she batted playfully at his now shoulder blade length ponytail.   
  
"All right then, let me finish up this paper and I will meet you in the hall." Johnothon kissed her on the hand as she got up and left the office. A short time later he was standing at her side walking down the street. The rain began to pour down and the two ran as quickly as they could to find some sort of shelter. As they rounded a corner they ran into a pack of men bearing crosses and stakes.   
  
"There she is! Kill her!" The leader rushed forward and thrust a burning torch at Dominique.   
  
She quickly dodged out of the way but the fire had caught her off guard. She felt herself enter frenzy and began killing the hunters one at a time and draining their bodies of blood. Still in frenzy she turned and charged Johnothon. As she grabbed him and bit down on his neck her mind flashed back to consciousness, but the damage had already been done. Lowering the weakened Johnothon to a sitting position she began to weep. Instead of tears she began to cry blood, which spattered on her white blouse. "Oh gods I am so sorry!"   
  
Johnothon's hand reached up and touched the bite marks on his neck. "You just fed off me. You are a vampire!" Grabbing a stake he pinned her down and jammed it through her heart, paralyzing her. "How dare you do this to me! How many times have you fed off me? Is that the only reason you were so nice to me? So I could be your lunch?" Staggering to his feet he leaned against the wall. "I should let you die! You tricked me, deceived me, fed off me, and worst of all you LIED to me!" His eyes became sad as she lay there, unable to move or even respond. "If you had merely told me what you really were Dominique." he ran a shaky hand through his hair as he sealed the wound on his neck, stopping the blood. He had read about how vampires reacted to fire, he knew it wasn't her fault for what she'd done, he was just hurt that she'd kept what she was a secret from him for so long. It was as if she didn't trust him like he trusted her. "I am going to let you go...but I-I need to have some time alone. I need to get this to all make sense. I'm sorry...." Pulling out the stake he used his magic to heal her before teleporting back to his office.  
  


* * *

  
  
Dominique lay crying in the street. She had never meant to hurt him, he had filled a place in her heart that nothing ever had. As she thought back on the times they had been together she noticed that she had rather large gaps in her memory, mainly when they had had sex. With a groan she stood up and headed off to Johnothon's office. With each step she took she felt part of herself dying. By the time she reached the door to the building the only feeling left inside her was hatred. All the old feelings she once had for him were gone. Turning on her heel she hailed a coach and left to go back to her home.  
  


* * *

  
  
Johnothon awoke the next morning to find his eyes red and puffy. He knew that he had cried himself to sleep. His only thoughts were of how Dominique hadn't trusted him. She had lied to him numerous times, and now that he thought back on the strange people in her building he suddenly realized that they were all vampires as well. He packed all of his belongings into a bag, left a note on the door that he was relocating and teleported to his apartment where he packed up the rest of his stuff into another small bag. Looking around he left the key under the door mat and tore open the gauntlet. Stepping through he closed his eyes and sped off to his secret spot to meditate.  
  


* * *

  
  
Johnothon finally left the gauntlet after what had seemed like a few days to find himself in New York. Looking into a shop window he was shocked to find that almost eighty years had passed. It was now the year 1985. With a sigh he asked for directions to the nearest antique dealer to sell his old belongings and get some money.  
  
A quick trip to a men's clothing store and to the library later, he bought a newspaper and opened it to the job listings. Upon finding a listing for a teaching position at the local college he grinned and decided to get in touch with his superior. After a several failed attempts he finally managed to connect with his superior, and he was given the assignment to go to the college and begin looking for young students who were destined to become mages. He was to take them in and train them. Johnothon smiled as he hung up the phone and hailed a taxi off to his new job.  
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
  
Alanna leaned over and put her hand on Johnothon's leg. "I think I understand now. I'm sorry."   
  
Johnothon stood up and turned away, his trench coat billowing in the wind. "Don't be." Turning back around he looked at Alanna with eyes full of pain. "She did it because she had frenzied, nothing more, no hate or malice. I know she loved me, but it was that she had lied to me that made me need some time alone. If she had just told me what she was...." He sighed. "I should have gone looking for her to set things right. If I could take back that choice, if I knew what I know now, I would have done it differently. I do not need an immortal enemy trying to thwart my every move." He sat down on the bench and used correspondence to grab a slice of apple from the fire. "But her feelings turned to hate. It broke my heart and I swore to never love again." He looked up, a piece of apple sticking out of his mouth, at a small sound. With a smile he finished the apple slice just as Alanna pounced him.   
  
"You'll never have to worry about that with me." She wrapped her arms around his neck and straddled him. Kissing him on the neck she smiled. "I would never consciously leave you." She traced her fingers over his tattoos. "Why do you have these?"   
  
"I told you that I bear the primal marks of my avatar. Other than that there is no meaning for them. The odd thing is that my avatar is female." His thoughts were cut off as Alanna leaned back down and kissed him passionately. He was surprised as her fingers trailed down to his belt, but leaned back and allowed her to undo it, his face flushed as he pulled her on to his lap. "Are you sure you want this? Things will change if we go through with this."  
  
Smiling, Alanna kissed him again and nodded. "I wouldn't have taken the initiative if I didn't want it."  
  


* * *

  
  
A few yards off, up in a tree, Dominique stood watching Johnothon and Alanna make love. "Soon you will feel what it is like to be alone." She laughed and jumped from branch to branch before reaching the wall. With one leap she jumped over. "Enjoy your relationship with Alanna while you can, soon she will be my slave."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aisuryuuko: A young Virtual Adept (VA) mage, often called Aisu   
> Alanna Cassidy: A young "Orphan" (No specific school or group) mage, prefers the element of fire.   
> Johnothon (NOT A TYPO) Myrenei: A Technocratic Mage, does not have any special implants like most Technocrats.   
> Dominique: An elder vampire, rules over the vampires of Ireland as a "Prince" (the title is for both genders) 
> 
> VA: Virtual Adept. (Quoted from White Wolf's "Mage the Ascension") The pioneers of a new vision for reality strive to open the minds of the Masses with their renegade actions as Hackers and virtual world builders. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Virtual_Adepts)  
> Technocracy: Mages that believe that everything can be answered through science. They are despised by "traditional" mages. They believe it is their duty to bring order to the world through science. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Technocratic_Union)
> 
> Paradox: When reality slaps back. Happens when a mage performs blatant (obvious) magic in front of mundane humans.   
> Quintessence: The magical energy that Mages draw upon to use their magic   
> Correspondence: Correspondence magic allows powers such as teleportation, seeing into distant areas, levitation and flying. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Correspondence)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oops?

The Sun shone brightly through Alanna's window spilling light over the desk. As the sunlight hit the mirror it reflected onto Johnothon's face. He scrunched his eyes and rolled over on his side. "Do you always leave the blinds open?" Opening his eyes he looked at Alanna and smiled. "You sleep well?"   
  
Alanna stretched and wrapped her arms around him. "Wonderfully." With a smile she kissed him on the nose and snuggled up against his chest.   
  
At Johnothon's recommendation she had challenged the course and left so as not to cause any more problems. Everyday she was somehow attacked while on campus. Everyday she would appear at Johnothon's office heavily battered but within the next two hours she would be fully healed. Even though Johnothon suspected a mix of students and magic, Alanna refused to name her attackers. In the end Johnothon had made Alanna a trench coat like his to help protect her. To add a little extra padding he added a hood that could be tucked inside the jacket. He also added several specialized pockets that could hold everything Alanna needed without showing a single bulge.   
  
Now as the two lay together Alanna sighed contentedly and snuggled closer to Johnothon.   
  
"Do you have any classes today, Alanna?"   
  
"I challenged them all. I'm just going to work the rest of the semester."   
  
"But where? You lost your tutoring job, and they are going to fire me at the end of the semester." He sighed. "That's why I got so upset at you yesterday." He kissed Alanna's cheek. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I was just so upset at being laid off over the incident Dominique caused that I lashed out at the first person I talked to. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."   
  
"Just shut up and kiss me." Alanna pounced Johnothon and pressed her lips against his. She felt Johnothon's arms wrap tighter around her waist and shoulders pulling her closer. As she snuggled as close as she could she became aware of a loud noise, like someone was clearing their throat. Looking up she noticed Aisu standing at the door.   
  
"I'm glad you two get along so well, but there is a message on the computer for you Alanna. Looks important." She leaned against the doorframe. "Plus I would like to use the comp before I go to class."   
  
"Fine, fine, I'll check it out." Climbing out of bed she pulled on a silk bathrobe and walked out into the living room. As she sat down she noticed that the message had already been opened. "Aisu, wait until I read it first next time." As she read through the message she jotted down an address and a time. "I'll be back soon!" She logged out of the message board and quickly got dressed. Grabbing her helmet and key she walked out the door and headed off.  
  


* * *

  
  
As she approached the address that she had been given, she cut the motor and looked around. "Hello?" She climbed off her motorcycle and headed into the orchard. "My name is Alanna and I received an message to come here. Is anyone around?"   
  
Dominique smiled from her perch in a tree and snapped her fingers. Instantly several men rushed out and grabbed Alanna, pinned her down, and knocked her out. "Very well done men. Get her into the truck and keep her sedated. I don't want her escaping until I am finished with my plan." She walked over and pricked her finger. Rubbing the blood on Alanna's lips she laughed. "Soon she shall be bound to me so tightly that not even Johnothon will be able to revive her. Get her back to my apartment."  
  


* * *

  
  
Alanna awoke to bright lights and the sound of people shuffling around. Try as she might she couldn't focus on anything until she realized some one had taken her glasses.   
  
"She's awake! Get the mistress!"   
  
Struggling, Alanna felt strong hands grab her and felt a needle inject an unknown substance into her arm. Suddenly she felt her body beginning to go limp and her temperature rise. "What's going on?"   
  
"Just a little precaution to stop you from escaping." Dominique walked up to Alanna and placed a finger under Alanna's chin. "Now this may taste odd..."   
  
Pressing Alanna's jaw open she poured a vial of blood into the young mage's mouth and forced her to swallow. "There, that wasn't so hard was it?" She grinned as Alanna's body began to heave, trying to expel the blood. "D'von! Keep her mouth shut. Do not let her expel the blood." Dominique turned on her heel and left the room.   
  
Alanna felt tears coming to her eyes. She wanted to be away from this; to be in Johnothon's arms. Her entire body wanted to purge itself of Dominique's blood but D'von held her mouth shut. 'Johnothon, help me!'  
  


* * *

  
  
"Something's wrong Aisu." Johnothon snapped out of his meditation and stood up. "Alanna should have been back by now. Or at lest contacted us. Are you sure you can't remember what the message said?"   
  
"Dude, even with my skills this will take at least another 48 hours. The board deletes messages twenty minutes after they've been read, and I'm having to dig through a ton of garbage to find it." Aisu spun around in her chair and looked over at Johnothon. "Toss me another bottle."   
  
Johnothon reached into the mini-fridge next to him and pulled out one of Aisu's drinks. "This stuff's going to eat through your stomach you know." Tossing it to Aisu he stood up and grabbed his jacket. "So you don't remember anything?"   
  
"I only remember the address. Here I'll write it down for you." She scribbled an address down on a scratch sheet of paper and handed it to Johnothon. "Not much good it'll do you though. That's a vacant lot. I checked, the only thing there is an orchard. The street number is on the curb." She stretched. "If you need me I'll be in my sanctum. Just knock on the door, ok? I think I can do this quicker if I can bend reality to my will."   
  
"Do that, I'm going to look for her." Johnothon grabbed his motorcycle keys and ran out the door.  
  


\---TWO DAYS LATER---

  
  
Aisu burst through the door of the bathroom just as Johnothon was stepping out of the shower. "I just got the...wow...." Her face turned bright red and she turned away. "Sorry!"   
  
Looking down Johnothon quickly grabbed a towel. "Ever knock?!" Pulling on his glasses he sighed. "We are at my house after all, Aisu."   
  
"I have the message in full! It says something about finding Alanna's long lost father. Odd thing is, she has never met her father, plus he's a technocrat. That and an orchard is really a weird place to meet up."   
  
"Great, now all we need is a call from her saying she has been with her father and hasn't...." He blinked as his phone began to ring. "I was being sarcastic...."  
  


* * *

  
  
"D'von! Bring her in." Dominique swiveled around in her chair as D'von led Alanna into the room. "So how are you Alanna?"   
  
"Fine mistress."   
  
"Stand over there behind that screen. D'von will bring you out when I want you." Dominique gestured to the dressing screen in the corner of the room. As Alanna walked over to the screen she turned to D'von and motioned him closer. "When my caller comes I want you to bring her out. At my mark you are to embrace her. But she will never take of the cup." She sneered. "She will be much more useful to me that way."   
  
D'von bowed and positioned himself near the screen.  
  


* * *

  
  
Looking up at the apartment complex, Johnothon cut the motor on his motorcycle. "Something feels wrong here." As he took off his helmet he could feel a strange tingly feeling going up and down his back. "Alanna, please be safe."   
  
As the elevator doors opened he saw an armed guard standing by the door. "Sir?" He noticed the guard bare his teeth slightly but after a few seconds the guard opened the door and motioned Johnothon inside.   
  
"In there."   
  
Johnothon walked into the room and stood in the center. He could tell someone was sitting in the chair by the window, and for some reason it felt like it was Alanna. "Love?"   
  
"Partially correct." The chair turned around and Dominique stood up. With a smooth motion she glided over to Johnothon. She smiled as she noticed him back away slightly. "What's the matter? Afraid of your old flame?" She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and with one quick movement pressed her lips to his.   
  
Johnothon's eyes widened at Dominique's actions and just stood there frozen like a statue. After about a minute of Dominique's passionate actions he pulled his head back. "What's this all about?"   
  
"Just a little something for you. You see," She twirled her fingers through Johnothon's hair and kissed him again. "I feel that I have outgrown my anger toward you. In fact, I have something I wish to show you." She snapped her fingers and D'von came forward, leading Alanna by the hand.   
  
"Alanna!" Johnothon rushed forward but was stopped by Dominique's hand on his arm. "What have you done to her?" Johnothon whirled around and jerked his arm in an attempt to break Dominique's hold. "Let me go!"   
  
Dominique's expression suddenly became menacing, and at a quick whistle several ghouls rushed out from their spots and threw Johnothon to the ground. They allowed him to sit up but held him in place. Dominique bent down and slapped Johnothon across the face sending him sprawling backwards. She smiled as she heard his cheek bone break with a sickening crack. "Now you will know what it feels like to lose someone you love! D'von!"   
  
D'von smiled and pushed the collar of Alanna's shirt down and brushed her hair out of the way. His fangs came out and he bit down on her neck, grinning as she whimpered in pain.   
  
"Alanna!" Johnothon began to struggle against his captors, but they proved to be too strong for him. His eyes flashed like those of a mad man's and he felt his body loosing control. He could see Alanna's body begin to go limp and knew that in a few seconds she would be dead. But for some reason her body gave a shudder and her head jerked up. Her eyes began to glow as D'von released her. His captors let go and he rushed over to catch her before she hit the ground.   
  
Alanna awoke in Johnothon's arms feeling very different. Her love for him had evaporated; and she could feel that her avatar was dead. For the oddest reason it was still with her, just dead. As she opened her eyes and looked up she bared her newly developed fangs at Johnothon. "Get away from me!" She pushed him away and stood up. "What's going on? What happened? Why do I crave blood?" She whirled from Dominique to D'von. "What did you do to me?" She knew her voice was thick with panic but she no longer cared.   
  
"We simply freed you from the pain Johnothon would soon cause you. You are no longer under his control. D'von, take her to get some vitae. She is now in your care so you must train her and make sure she becomes what we want her to be." Dominique smiled as D'von led Alanna out of the room, leaving her and Johnothon alone. "Now we are even." She smiled and walked back over to her desk.   
  
Johnothon felt his body shake with rage. All the small objects in the room flew to him and began to circle his body at an alarming rate. "How DARE you do that to her!" The objects formed into a ball and shot at Dominique. "You ruined her life just to get back at me for something that was YOUR fault! You destroyed her life so you can have your little feeling of revenge. Have you no sympathy?"   
  
Dominique calmly sidestepped the ball and picked up a stack of papers. "Oh she will be happy here. I will split her memory in half so she will not even remember you. You see, I need someone who can go between the Sabbat and the Camarilla with ease, and she will be perfect. With her memory split she will not have to worry about tests. She will BE Sabbat. She will BE Camarilla. And don't think you can ruin it, she is bound to me." Her long white fangs peeked out from behind her blood red lips as she smirked at him. "Not to mention the fact that I have recently become the Tremere Justicar, the representative of my clan who will change the Camarilla forever! I can make it so you do not exist with the snap of my fingers!" With a mirthless laugh she sat down in her chair and looked up at Johnothon. "You are free to leave, unless you wish to end your life now by trying to kill me. Your choice."   
  
"It's not worth taking another life over. Unless I could end mine and hers with your death." Turning away Johnothon sighed and walked to the door. "Someday you will learn what it feels like to truly live. I feel sorry for you. This is the end I guess." As he was about to open the door he heard a click as a gun was cocked. With a heavy sigh he put his hands above his head. "What now, Dominique?"   
  
"Remove your coat!" Dominique walked around the desk, gun poised. She smiled as Johnothon removed his jacket and let it fall to the floor with a loud thunk. "I think I will end it now-for you at least." Pulling the trigger a single tear rolled down her cheek. "Only when you suffer for all eternity will you learn how I feel." Walking over to Johnothon's unmoving body she covered it with the trench coat and called for the guard. "Dispose of this. Throw him in the river or something, but do not drink his blood...he has been poisoned."   
  
The guard nodded and took up Johnothon's still body. Walking outside he tossed the body into the canal and spit on the ground. "Filthy mage."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aisuryuuko: A young Virtual Adept (VA) mage, often called Aisu   
> Alanna Cassidy: A young "Orphan" (No specific school or group) mage, prefers the element of fire.   
> Johnothon (NOT A TYPO) Myrenei: A Technocratic Mage, does not have any special implants like most Technocrats.   
> Dominique: An elder vampire, rules over the vampires of Ireland as a "Prince" (the title is for both genders) 
> 
> VA: Virtual Adept. (Quoted from White Wolf's "Mage the Ascension") The pioneers of a new vision for reality strive to open the minds of the Masses with their renegade actions as Hackers and virtual world builders. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Virtual_Adepts)  
> Technocracy: Mages that believe that everything can be answered through science. They are despised by "traditional" mages. They believe it is their duty to bring order to the world through science. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Technocratic_Union)
> 
> Paradox: When reality slaps back. Happens when a mage performs blatant (obvious) magic in front of mundane humans.   
> Quintessence: The magical energy that Mages draw upon to use their magic   
> Correspondence: Correspondence magic allows powers such as teleportation, seeing into distant areas, levitation and flying. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Correspondence)  
> Vitae: Blood  
> Camarilla: The largest of vampiric sects, a loose organization which ostensibly represents and protects all vampires by enforcing and promulgating the Masquerade. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Camarilla_(VTM))  
> Sabbat: A loose organization of vampires who reject the Traditions. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Sabbat)  
> "Take of the cup": Soon after being Embraced, Tremere neonates are made to drink the blood of the Inner Council through a ritual called the Transubstantiation of Seven, bringing them one step towards a blood bond to the clan's leaders and ensuring some degree of loyalty to their peers. 
> 
> There is a specific merit for this in Vampire: The Masquerade, which Alanna had in game.  
> "Embraced Without the Cup (3-pt Merit) (http://reference.l2fury.com/index.php/Embraced_Without_the_Cup)  
> When your character was Embraced, her sire dispensed with Tremere tradition, or perhaps didn’t have the means necessary to finish the job, or just died before it could be done right. Your Tremere was drained of bleed and then brought across, but never went through the Transubstantiation of Seven. As a result, even if your character took the oath, she didn’t undertake any steps toward a blood bond with the Council of Seven. Because your character has no imperative toward the Seven, her loyalty to the Tremere clan comes solely from her own conscience. Effectively, you can do as you damn well please without any unnatural feelings getting in the way.
> 
> Of course if any loyal Tremere find out about this oversight, your character will probably wind up hauled in for the Transubstantiation of Seven, as well as some detailed questioning about why she didn’t come forward to fix this oversight of her own volition. This may result in a binding to the council, or a tribunal of some sort, and ignorance may not be a valid excuse...."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remember back when Jolt Cola was the most powerful drink you could buy?

Johnothon's body floated down along the canal until it hit a bend, where it became stuck. Johnothon's spirit tried in vain to get back into the body but finally it gave up. Flying towards his house, Johnothon went through the walls and floated down next to Aisu. ‘Aisu, can you hear me? I need your help; my body is in the canal at the south junction. You need to get it out and get me back into it. I want you to take the car, the keys are by the door, take the body to 156 Liverpool Lane. You will be asked a password, tell them my name and they will let you in.'  
  
Aisu looked around wildly then turned to face Johnothon's spirit. "What is in there?" She jumped up and ran to the front door; grabbing the keys she rushed to the car and started the ignition.  
  
‘It is a Technocracy building. They will be able to fix me up. Though I am unable to guarantee your safety, I will promise to make it up to you in any way I can.'  
  
Aisu nodded and sped down the road to the south junction. Climbing out of the car she opened the trunk and pulled out a long chain. She attached the chain end to the car and clambered down the steep incline to the water's edge. Wrapping the end of the chain around Johnothon's body she struggled back up and got into the car. She put it in reverse and slowly began to back up. After what seemed an eternity she saw Johnothon's body come over the edge. "Thank the Gods for that coat of yours Johnothon. Not a scratch on you." She got out and proceeded to drag Johnothon's body into the car. "Now what?"  
  
'Go to 156 Liverpool.'  
  
Aisu nodded and pushed the gas pedal to the floor. Speeding off she watched the signs go by and made a sharp turn onto Liverpool. As she approached the address she whistled quietly and cut the lights. "Nice place you guys have."  
  
‘We try our best.'  
  
Aisu giggled slightly and stopped the car. As she climbed out she looked at the body. "What do I do now?"  
  
‘Go up to the door and knock twice. When they ask for a password say my name. They will open the door. Let them know that I am in dire need of help and that I am in the back of the car. Have someone carry me inside and if you can...leave. Run if you have to but do not let them take you inside willingly. If they have questions make sure to stay on the front porch. You are safe there.'  
  
With a nod Aisu walked up to the house and knocked twice. After uttering Johnothon's name she stepped back as a large man stepped out and looked at her. She gulped. "Johnothon was badly hurt and I brought him here as by his wishes. He is in the back seat of the car. He said you guys could help him."  
  
"And how do we know you didn't kill him? You don't look like one of us...you look more like one of those pesky tradition mages. You have two minutes to give me your title and affiliation before I take it from you." The man glared down at her with blood red cybernetic eyes.  
  
Aisu gulped again as she looked him over. He was more machine than man, most of his body was covered by some sort of machinery and what wasn't was definitely enhanced genetically. "I am Aisu Ryuuko of Kyoto, Japan. I am a Virtual Adept Mage who is near being an adept at my magic."  
  
  
The man nodded and walked over to the car. Opening the back door he pulled out Johnothon's limp body and walked back to the house. "I will make a note of that. Now leave before my supervisor gives me orders to take you into custody."  
  
Aisu nodded and ran to her car.   
  
Johnothon's spirit sighed. 'Nice job, kiddo. You just had to give him your real name.'  
  
"I panicked." muttered Aisu under her breath. Gunning the motor she sped off and rushed back home. As she pulled up to the apartment she noticed lights on in the front room. Suddenly her computer came crashing through the window and landed on the hood of the car. With a scream she leapt from the car and began to run. Two men in black coats soon followed suit and began to chase her. With a cry of terror she drew out her gun and fired two shots behind her hoping to get them to leave. When she looked back she noticed that they were gaining ground on her. She gasped as one pulled out an odd looking weapon and took aim at her. With a last ditch effort she closed her eyes and muttered a quick incantation. In a flash of light she disappeared and reappeared in the umbra. She laughed as she looked at the men in black. "Serves you right!" She closed her eyes again and muttered a few syllables, a long white path appeared before her and she began to run along its course.  
  
Aisu was breathless when she reached Johnothon's house. Opening the gauntlet she staggered out and collapsed on the lawn. After a couple of minutes she pulled herself up and went into the house. "It isn't safe for me to be here, I need to pack what I can and make myself scarce. Maybe I will go to that nice little club down by the Broadway and hang out there. They have hookups and all kinds of cool stuff."   
  
Walking into the guest room she'd been staying in, she grabbed what she needed and stuffed it into a duffel bag. She then packed up her laptop and enough food to last her a couple days. Taking one last look around she sighed and grabbed the keys to her 4 Runner. "Good thing I can live out of this." She closed the doors and walked over to her car. As she was about to start the ignition she saw a blurred shape bolt in front of the headlights. Blinking, Aisu shrugged and started the car. Suddenly a dark figure appeared on her hood and began to tap at the windshield. Aisu screamed and put the car in reverse, causing the figure to fall to the ground. She stopped the car and stepped out, gun poised. As she walked up to it she heard a faint groan and some muttered cursing. "I don't know who or what you are but I want you to turn and face me! Show your face!"  
  
The figure turned and raised its hand in the air. With a jerk of its head it tossed off its hood. Standing there in the lights was Alanna. "Aisu, help me...."  
  
Aisu dropped her gun and ran over to Alanna. "Where have you been? Did Johnothon find you?" She stopped short as Alanna raised her hand.  
  
"Come no closer, I warn you. I am not who I once was. I have joined the ranks of the undead thanks to Johnothon's old flame. I want you to help me find a cure, a way to get me back to how I was." Alanna put her head in her hands and sank to the ground. "I want this terrible hunger to stop!"  
  
Aisu crept forward slightly. "What hunger?"  
  
"My hunger for blood. Every time I use my powers I become hungry. I cannot help it. You need to help me!"  
  
Aisu nodded. "I will do what I can." She took a step forward but realized too late that she had gotten too close. Looking down she noticed Johnothon's blood on her clothing and saw Alanna's eyes turn up to her. "Oh dear god!" She screamed as Alanna lunged at her and sunk her fangs into her neck. Gasping for breath Aisu felt her body going limp, everything began to blur and she found it hard to stay awake. But after several seconds passed, she felt Alanna release her hold and lick the spot on her neck. She could feel strong arms lift her into the car and felt Alanna pull a blanket over her body. "Why...."  
  
"I am so sorry old friend. The blood got to me; please from now on keep your distance unless I say it is ok. I will watch over you until morning, you should be feeling better by then. But at dawn I must find a place to sleep. Please, when you see Johnothon again....tell him I love him."  
  
Aisu nodded weakly and closed her eyes. Sleep came almost instantly for her and when she awoke the next morning she noticed Alanna was gone and that there were several hundred dollar bills on the seat next to her. "I will do what I can Alanna. For you...and for Johnothon."  
  


* * *

  
  
Johnothon opened his eyes to see an old wrinkled man looking down at him. "Where am I?"  
  
"You are in my laboratory, my young man. Welcome back to the world of the living." The old man smiled and walked over to the counter. "Would you care for a drink?"  
  
Johnothon sat up and rubbed his head. "How long has it been? How long have I been out?"  
  
"Oh about a fortnight. It gave me time to fix you up and give you a couple of enhancements. It seemed odd that you had none, seeing as how you are over 200 years old." The old man turned around and smiled at Johnothon.  
  
"But how...how did you?" Johnothon's eyes lit up in recognition. "Master Bargues! When did you join the Technocracy?"  
  
"I have always been a Technocrat. By the way, how did your schooling go?" Master Bargues smiled and handed Johnothon a glass of water. "Mind you be careful with your right hand."  
  
"My right?" Johnothon looked down at his right hand and blinked. "Why?"  
  
"I installed a keypad. When activated a holographic image of a keypad will appear under your fingers and the sensors in your fingertips will send a signal as to which number you are selecting. It works very well against VA and SoE equipment. You can break their codes in a matter of seconds. Your other enhancement will take a bit longer to get used to. I remade your spine so that you will be able to walk. Though if the power cells ever run out you will become a paraplegic again until the cells can be replaced. Not to mention the wiring and all will need to be fixed should something happen. Just in case I have created a wheelchair for you to use. It is marked and will come to you when summoned. You do remember the spell of sword summoning correct?" At Johnothon's nod he smiled. "Rest up and then we can begin getting you used to your enhancements."  
  
Johnothon nodded and took a sip of the water. Lying back down he flexed his hand and could feel the tiny wires running through it. "Will I always be able to feel the wires?"  
  
"Just for about 2 hours. After that it will fade out of your senses. Just relax and try not to move the hand, otherwise it will take longer."  
  
"Do you know what happened to the girl who brought me here?"  
  
"I believe George scared her off. All I know is that several black suits and one grey left from here right after you were brought in. Is there something wrong?"  
  
"She's a VA. That means that they went out to neutralize her. I need to go and save her!" Johnothon sat up and tried to swing his legs over the table. With a yelp he fell off the table and landed on his back.  
  
"You can't walk yet my boy. Calm down, if they haven't found her yet they have given up. You can ask once you are feeling able to walk around again."  
  
"I want to know now! She is a dear friend and the only one I have left, after what happened with Alanna...." Johnothon let his body go limp as mechanical arms picked him up and put him back on the table.  
  
"Who is Alanna?"  
  
"A woman I love. She was taken from me by Dominique. She was turned into a vampire and forced to be her slave. And there is nothing I can do." Johnothon felt tears welling up in his eyes and he turned away.  
  
"Well now, Dominique is a Vampire? Interesting, I always knew she was hiding something. Do you still have my book?"  
  
"Yes, but I read it cover to cover, there is nothing in it that can bring Alanna back."  
  
"There is, it just isn't meant for you to see. You must give it to your first true student. She will be able to see the spell to bring your loved one back."  
  
"She?" Johnothon looked up at Bargues with a confused look on his face.  
  
"Your student will be a young female. You are going to turn her from her Tradition to the Technocracy. I don't know what she looks like but I do know that you will find her in China."  
  
Johnothon nodded. "So she will be the one to save Alanna...." He felt his body begin to relax and his eyes get heavy. Yawning, he sighed and fell into a deep sleep.  
  


* * *

  
  
Aisu sat at a club sipping down some coffee. She had been chased for days, and finally last night they had given up their search. Sighing, she opened up her Toshiba T1100 and used her magic to access Reality 2.0. "45 new messages?" Scanning through each one she clicked on the most recent one. It was from Johnothon letting her know he was ok and that he would get in contact with her soon. With a smile Aisu brushed her hair over her shoulders and quickly sent a reply, making sure to mask her location. Afterwards she proceeded to check the rest of her messages and send out replies to each. The final message was from Tremersion Graphic Design. With a shrug she opened it and began to read.  
  
[Hey Aisu,  
  
It's me Alanna, I'm sneaking on from the computers at work. I hope I took care of those guys for you. The jerks gave me a run for my money though. And now my fangs hurt, they had subdermal armor or something. Anyway, just dropping you a line. Talk with you again soon.]  
  
"Great. Now at least I know why they left." She giggled to herself and looked around at all the other mages. "Looks like I can board up here for a bit." Standing up she walked over to the bar and paid for a room and something to eat. She was rather disappointed when they told her that the most powerful drink they had was Pepsi. With a sigh she ordered a two colas, a coffee, and a cappuccino, along with a glass. As she sat back down she could feel the man at the bar staring at her. She calmly opened the bottles and, evaporating the water, poured a quantity of each into the glass. ‘Pepsi is the strongest thing? Where are these people living? The stone age?' With another sigh she added the coffees to the mixture and took a sip, wincing at the taste. She would have to get a hold of her friend to hook her up with her old caffeine mix pretty soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aisuryuuko: A young Virtual Adept (VA) mage, often called Aisu   
> Alanna Cassidy: A young "Orphan" (No specific school or group) mage, prefers the element of fire.   
> Johnothon (NOT A TYPO) Myrenei: A Technocratic Mage, does not have any special implants like most Technocrats.   
> Dominique: An elder vampire, rules over the vampires of Ireland as a "Prince" (the title is for both genders) 
> 
> VA: Virtual Adept. (Quoted from White Wolf's "Mage the Ascension") The pioneers of a new vision for reality strive to open the minds of the Masses with their renegade actions as Hackers and virtual world builders. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Virtual_Adepts)  
> SoE: Sons of Ether. A group of technomancers aligned to the Council of Nine. Originally part of the Order of Reason and the Technocracy, they abandoned their former compatriots after the Union aided the expulsion of the Luminiferous Aether from the Consensus. Since then, the Sons have adopted several outdated technologies and incorporated them into their Paradigm. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Sons_of_Ether)  
> Technocracy: Mages that believe that everything can be answered through science. They are despised by "traditional" mages. They believe it is their duty to bring order to the world through science. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Technocratic_Union)
> 
> Paradox: When reality slaps back. Happens when a mage performs blatant (obvious) magic in front of mundane humans.   
> Quintessence: The magical energy that Mages draw upon to use their magic   
> Correspondence: Correspondence magic allows powers such as teleportation, seeing into distant areas, levitation and flying. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Correspondence)
> 
> Reality 2.0: the Digital Web, as a sort of 'Ark' into which humanity can be evacuated if things go to hell. The Digital Web is one of the many strange realms of the Umbra, this one somehow related to the development of modern communications networks. It is divided into many 'sectors', each of which is originally just a huge open white space until someone 'formats' it with an act of will. Many Virtual Adepts love it to death, and the NetExplorer faction is busy trying to get it ready for everyone to use. Normal humans using computers sometimes connect to parts of it, often leading to trouble for them.

**Author's Note:**

> Aisuryuuko: A young Virtual Adept (VA) mage, often called Aisu  
> Alanna Cassidy: A young "Orphan" (No specific school or group) mage, prefers the element of fire.  
> Johnothon (NOT A TYPO) Myrenei: A Technocratic Mage, does not have any special implants like most Technocrats.  
> Dominique: An elder vampire, rules over the vampires of Ireland as a "Prince" (the title is for both genders) 
> 
> VA: Virtual Adept. (Quoted from White Wolf's "Mage the Ascension") The pioneers of a new vision for reality strive to open the minds of the Masses with their renegade actions as Hackers and virtual world builders. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Virtual_Adepts)  
> Technocracy: Mages that believe that everything can be answered through science. They are despised by "traditional" mages. They believe it is their duty to bring order to the world through science. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Technocratic_Union)
> 
> Paradox: When reality slaps back. Happens when a mage performs blatant (obvious) magic in front of mundane humans.  
> Quintessence: The magical energy that Mages draw upon to use their magic  
> Correspondence: Correspondence magic allows powers such as teleportation, seeing into distant areas, levitation and flying. (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Correspondence)


End file.
